


Like a River Flows

by Nyx_Fedra



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, American Politics, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Really this is just pure fluff with a lot of backstory, THESE TWO DORKS ARE SO IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER, dancing to Elvis, yep that's a tag now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 13:03:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15316077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyx_Fedra/pseuds/Nyx_Fedra
Summary: It’s an evening much like any other.For Rey, everything changes.





	Like a River Flows

**Author's Note:**

> It was supposed to be a short story but alas, I couldn't help myself. This just fluff, because they deserve to be happy, and we all deserve a break form the angst sometimes.

All those who had witnessed the brutal first encounter between Ray Johnson and Ben Solo came easily to believe that, if it wasn’t for the laws of the country, the two of them would have challenged each other to a duel, or just plainly tried to murder each other.

Ray was in her first year of college, full NASA sponsored scholarship, aerospace engineering and already a known figure in the entire campus for how she had stood up for herself against the misogyny that reigned in the STEM departments. (She had silenced everyone, including her professor, when to their comments about how she wasn’t _suitable_ , she had replayed that really, men were those not _suitable_ in such a field, since woman had, historically, always made the calculations that brought men into space.)

Ben Solo was known because he was Ben Solo. Into his second years of the elite graduate program of the college prestigious law school, he had _legacy_. Grandchild of an impeached Vice President and of the first female congresswoman, son of one the country’s best loved senator and a NASCAR’s legendary pilot, nephew of Air Force’s best commander and pilot. The troubled, wayward child, who had come home after a brief family fall out when he finished college, the eyes of the world on him to see if he would become like his grandfather or be as loved as the women in his family were. It was a given that he would enter the world of politics.

The first time they met, it went from zero to a hundred in a matter of second. They had met casually, and Rey accused him of being a shitty TA for the way he treated his students, which she knew of because Finn took his classes and constantly complained about him. He had heard about her as well, he apparently knew her only good professor - Poe Dameron - and he didn’t hesitate to fight back by stating that, maybe, she should stick more to concrete facts than words given her field of interest. Honest to God, Rey would have punched him right there if it wasn’t for Rose intervening: the woman was smaller than them both, but somehow she could tower over everyone when she wanted.

They clashed several times after that, every time they met on campus, when she accompanied Finn in the Law building or when he came to the Engineering building to have lunch with Poe. Ben always knew where to hit with words, even though she gave a few blows of her own; but Rey always scolded herself mentally afterwards, because she should know better than to pick a fight with words with a man who had seen the inside of politics since he was born and who was on track to become one hell of a lawyer. She was a mechanic, and sometimes she was way out of her depth.

Formally, they hated each other, but there was good in him. Rey knew that to amend for the shady jobs he had taken when he stopped talking to his family, he was a pro bono immigrant lawyer, and on some week ends he travelled south to the border at his own expenses to meet with his clients. Poe had told her as much when he joined their circle of friends, after he and Finn first saw each other, whilst trying to stop Ben and Rey from fighting with something other than words.

Then one day, whilst Rey was doing a group project - she was, of course, the only woman, but there were two Steve only in her group - the boys (they weren’t men) had the audacity to use her ideas as their own beside ignoring and dismissing her as they usually did, and when she had protested they had questioned the methods by which she had obtained the prestigious scholarship that paid her tuition. Before she could answer - or punch them - Ben had appeared out of nowhere, and with his usual eloquence defended her with sarcasm subtle enough that the boys didn’t even notice they were being blatantly insulted.

She had tried to thank him, awkwardly - because she would have almost certainly punched them and things would have gotten messy - but Ben shrugged it off as nothing. She knew he valued her, because his words, unlike those of many, had never implied that she was unqualified because of her gender, on the contrary. Ben was a man that valued tangible results over flimsy words.

‘My uncle wants to meet you, he’s coming to speak with Poe, so feel free to go along with them after class when he arrives’ he said simply, as if it was nothing, as if he hadn’t implied to the orphan girl that Rey sometimes still felt she was that Luke Skywalker wanted to meet her.

‘How…? Why?’ she asked, eyes wide.

‘I’ve told him about you, Poe has as well’

It started like that, with Luke scrutinising her and telling Poe that yes, he wasn’t surprised his ‘naughty nephew’ had talked about her, and it escalated gradually but constantly. Ben joined their group, and Rey found herself spending more and more time with him whilst Poe and Finn became charmed by each other, and Rose seemed to have an endless list of suitors that looked at her as if she was masterpiece. Then they ended up being invited for Thanksgiving at the Organa mansion, and Rey discovered a side of Ben only few knew: the lonely child from a broken home, so much legacy on his shoulders he could barely breath somedays, the constant fear of failure, of disappointment, of being as bad as his grandfather. She had revealed herself to him as well, the screaming child from the Jakku deserted that wanted to belong. They bonded over a dying fireplace in an empty room of the mansions, late at night, and for the first time in her life, Rey reached first to touch someone else, willingly.

That night, while they held hands in silence, she discovered that touching Ben Solo was like touching a live wire, and that the idyllic family she had seen so many times on tv was anything but.

Rey fell for him fast after that, or maybe she had already fallen, but he was working non-stop to finish his graduate program, and she had heard Leia talk about presenting him at the next party convention, so that he could be ready to run for California when the time came. She was working hard too, she could never be anything but excellent given the misogynistic attitudes of the department, and NASA was waiting for her in Florida. Even if she wanted to give it a try because of the way Ben always moved closer to her, the way his eyes often fell on her lips, they would be at opposite sides of the county.

He was as much as a goner for her as she was for him, she discovered one night, whilst Poe left his phone in the living room after ha had moved to the bedroom with Finn, so that Rey saw the drunk stream of texts Ben sent him, in which at one point he called her a goddess.

She left for his apartment immediately, and despite the both of them agreeing that it was better if they kept their distance, since soon there was to be _real_ distance, they fell into each others arms, in Ben’s bed, anyway, unable to stay away.

‘I don’t want to hurt you’ Ben had said the next morning, his large body draped over hers, his hands perfect on her skin and sadness in his eyes.

She had seen on the table in the living room the papers for the various Californian policies he had to familiarise himself with. He had seen the paperwork NASA had sent her days before, when Finn cooked them dinner at their apartment.

’You won’t’ she had answered, kissing him again, and many times after that.

They decided to make the best of the time they had together anyway, and they were both in pain a year later, when they had to say goodbye to each other in a busy airport. They broke up then, because they had agreed that they would, that it would be the sensible thing to do so not to hinder possible meetings with other… potential partners, a thought that always made both of them sick.

It lasted barely six months, until Ben came over to spend Christmas with her, laving everything behind.

Looking back at it, Rey usually laughed at how dramatic she and Ben had been. Her position at NASA wasn’t permanent, the budget being what it was. But there actually was such a thing as new space race, only that now it was done by companies instead of states, and her skills were highly valuable. The long distance part of their relationship lasted barely two years, during which they both travelled often to see each other even for a day, until Rey was able to join a company in California. That had been four years ago, and Ben and Rey had lived together ever since, moving when necessary (only once, to DC, after Ben was elected) but always together.

They had busy, unfortunately public, lives: Ben became one of the youngest senators in history, and the race to space was extremely popular, meaning a constant scrutiny of Rey’s work. But they were happy, and they loved each other so much Rey couldn’t even comprehend it some days, the overwhelming love that was never too much or too little with Ben, a powerful balance.

They had brought a house together, and they supported one another publicly, and often they were referred to as husband and wife, even if they weren’t. Rey didn’t mind, neither did Ben - she suspected he feared marriage a bit for the way that piece of paper had opened a crack in Han and Leia’s relationship - they loved each other, and they knew it, that was all that matter. It was between them and no one else, private and _theirs_ , and they didn’t need any form of external confirmation of validation to know that they would never be alone again.

That was until one evening of a day much like any other, Rey went home to find Ben busy cooking. It was normal, he had some light music on in the background while he concentrated on the food, probably completely tired of politics and policies for the day. He cooked to relax, and because he loved to take care her of her like that - because he knew how much she loved food and how difficult it was going out these days, paparazzi following them everywhere they went.

Despite how sharp his words could be in public, how cold his exterior could appear, her Ben was a softy, and Rey loved him for it.

Like every evening, Rey hugged him from behind, kissing the back of his neck before taking a shower to clean herself up from the dirt of the day, and slip into her most comfortable pj. Coming back to the kitchen, she found Ben checking timers, steadily ignoring the stack of papers on the coffee table - probably another legislation he had to present to the floor - lifting lids off saucepans to check the content. When he was done, he came over to her, kissing her deeply in that way that always made her burn pleasantly.

The song changed into a slower one and Ben didn’t let her go, he moved a hand to her back, the other holding hers and simply began to swing with her, following the rhythm a little awkwardly, humming along with the music.

‘What’s the occasion?’ she asked, knowing already that there wasn’t one, that he just wanted to do this with her.

‘Well, firstly, I love you. Secondly, after Finn and Poe’s wedding reception I might have warmed up to dancing, although only with you. Thirdly, I know how much you love the dancing scenes in Pride and Prejudice, and how can I deny you the pleasure of recreating them?’

Rey laughed at his serious face, her head resting right under her chin, and they kept moving like that, until the song changed again, and Ben began to sing along.

 

_Wise men say_

_Only fools rush in_

_But I can't help falling in love with you_

_Shall I stay?_

_Would it be a sin?_

_If I can't help falling in love with you_

 

Rey raised her head to look at him, at his warm smile, getting lost in the love that overflowed form Ben eyes, from the words he singed along with.

 

_Like a river flows_

_Surely to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

 

She wondered if he knew how much she loved him, all of him, the good and the bad. How she wanted to stay with him for the rest of their lives, together. She had told him as much some months after she moved to California, when the car accident that scarred his face and took Han’s life almost took Ben’s too, leaving Rey devastated and with a fear of losing him - of waking up and finding that he hand’t survived - that lasted for months. It wasn’t codependency, or maybe it was, on a level, but the bond they shared expanded into something the simple word ‘love’ couldn’t explain as well as she would have liked.

 

_Take my hand_

_Take my whole life too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

 

Suddenly, Rey became aware of her life all at once. From being alone in Jakku, waiting for someone who would never come back for her, she had come so far. She had found a family, with Finn and Rose first, then Poe, and Leia and Luke and Han, and, most importantly, Ben. She had never imagined someone would love her and care for her the way he did, she had never imagine herself in love, and yet she was.

 

_Like a river flows_

_Surely to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

 

They supported each other, and she had more than she could have ever imagined. It was the fact that she had the job of her dreams, a loving family, a warm house…but most of all if was the way she felt complete and totally accepted every time Ben looked at her, and the exciting feeling given back by the knowledge hat he felt the same.

It was more than she had ever dreamed, and now she wanted all of it. It was private, and _theirs_ , but she wanted for the world to know, too.

 

_Take my hand_

_Take my whole life, too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

 

Ben suddenly stopped singing and dancing, his hands moving to her cheeks and his fingers gently wiping away her tears under his concerned look.

‘What is it?’ he asked in a whisper, and Rey clung to his shirt, her lips trembling while she was unable to stop the tears.

‘I just love you so much’ she managed to say, finally, and Ben smiled, kissing away her tears, his lips on hers tasting like salt.

It was a normal evening, much like any other, and it was perfect, and she wanted everything.

‘Marry me’ she asked looking at him in the eyes.

Ben looked back at her as if she had just told him the secret of the universe, and maybe she had.

‘Yes’

They never smiled so much like that night.

 

* * *

 

A month later, Ben was in New York for a party convention, and Rey, finally home from work, was watching the interview he was giving live on tv while she sat on the sofa in the living room, a warm cup of tea next to her. She touched the ring that had been Padme’s, which she wore as a necklace because it might have been aerospace engineering, but it still required her to literally get her hands dirty with oil and much more, making wearing a ring highly discourageable.

‘I’ve heard you and Mrs. Solo, Rey Johnson, have gotten married two weeks ago. I think I can speak for many when I said we were surprised, many thought you were married already’ the interviewer said, the kind of white haired middle aged conservative Ben battled everyday on the Senate floor like his mother before him.

‘Oh, yes, it was a wonderful ceremony’ Ben answered. He looked calm to everyone else, but she could tell how annoyed he was at people who tried to ask him too many questions about his personal life, he wanted the focus to be on his work.

‘It was rather a hasty thing, wasn’t it? You got engaged and married in less than two weeks…’ the interviewer added, and Rey, even through the screen, saw Ben’s eyes flicker with anger.

The interviewer was, of course, insinuating that the marriage had occurred to cover something, a scandal, or a pregnancy. Rey, on her sofa, snorted.

‘Well, as you have said’ Ben started adjusting his posture on the chair he was on ‘everyone always thought we were married since, if I’m not wrong, the fourth month of our relationship, when we were still in college. I think it was the now professor Hux, a fellow graduate at the law school, that complained to the now Attorney General Phasma, about how me and Rey were practically married. I guess it started there’

Ben said it all with a straight face, but Rey couldn’t help but laugh, her phone already blowing up with messages from Finn, Poe, Rose and Leia, who were watching the interview as well. She would never get tired of Ben and Hux sort of friendly animosity, which led them, like in that case, to take shots at each other in the weirdest of ways.

‘Oh, uh… well, then why did it take so long?’ the interviewer pressed on.

‘Our relationship is a _private matter_ ’ Ben said looking the interviewer right in the eyes, and the man gulped ‘we don’t need external confirmation to know how we feel, but we wanted all anyway, and so we took it when it felt right, two weeks ago. It doesn’t take much to organise a wedding when the centre of it it’s the getting married part and not the ceremony, so we called our friends and family and we did it’

Rey felt stupidly proud of Ben in that moment, almost as much as when he had passed the bill for the expansion of healthcare. He had just subtlety declared to the nation how much they loved each other, insulted the interviewer and the crazy wedding industry that pushed everyone to believe that marriage required millions of dollars and stellar locations in order to be a happy one.

‘So, that’s why you proposed, it felt like the right time?’ the interviewer asked, clearly awkward and aware at how Ben was subtly insulting him.

And her Ben, bless him, gave the man his best confused gaze.

‘I didn’t propose’ he said innocently, as if it wasn’t a big deal for a sitting senator to admit that he, the man, hand’t been the one to propose ‘Rey did, while we were dancing to Elvis one night. Terribly romantic, I wasn’t expecting it at all. _I_ almost burned dinner. You see, _I usually cook_ dinner, because Rey, being an aerospace engineer who is busy with mechanical parts all day’ he said, his voice so full pride Rey wanted to leap through the screen an kiss him ‘needs to rest when she gets home’.

_OMG BUUUURNNNN_ Rose texted, followed by other similar comments by her friends.

_TaTH’s MY BoY!!!!_ Poe, followed by Finn’s _Ben has big dick energy_ , which made Rey laugh aloud in the empty house. _I knew I raised him right_ , was Leia’s while Luke sent a dozen fire emojis.

The interviewer, seeing how badly it was going, changed the topic back to Ben’s policy proposals, trying to make Ben look bad without success.

The moment the interview ended, she called him.

‘That was incredible’ she admitted, and Ben chuckled at the other end of the phone.

It had been only two days, but she missed him.

‘You think I’m not proud of my wife? I’m not ashamed of us, and I’ll fight every asshole who implies otherwise’

‘I know you will. Just don’t get into a pub brawl without me, that’s all I’ll say’

‘I promise’

‘Good, I love you. Come home’

‘I’m heading to the airport right now, I’ll be home in a couple of hours. I love you, too’

When he returned home, three hours later, Rey was waiting for him, music filling the air.

They danced until morning.

**Author's Note:**

> We all know Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis is the supreme Reylo song. I don't make the rules, that's just how it is.
> 
> Come say hi on [twitter](https://twitter.com/LonelyAsteria) and [tumblr ](https://flaming-starlight.tumblr.com)


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